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Third annual Morgan County ALS Feast set for Saturday in Fort Morgan

Community Ice Bucket challenge next week

By Jenni Grubbs

Times Staff Writer

Posted:
08/11/2016 03:33:05 PM MDT

Updated:
08/12/2016 09:59:38 AM MDT

Mike Berryhill, president of Morgan Federal Bank, gets a cold shock as Donny Edson pours ice water on him at the 2015 Community Ice Bucket Challenge. The bank will host a similar challenge event Friday, Aug. 19, in the bank's parking lot in Fort Morgan, with Berryhill again signing up to get soaked to raise awareness and money for ALS research. (Jenni Grubbs / Fort Morgan Times file photo)

If you go

2016 Morgan County ALS fundraisers

What:Third annual Morgan County ALS Barbecue Feast.

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016.

Where: Fort Morgan Elks Lodge, 430 State St., Fort Morgan.

Cost: All-you-can-eat tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.

More info: Donny Edson at 303-265-2965, Brad Renton 970-380-1779 or stop by Morgan Federal Bank in Fort Morgan for tickets. They also will be available at the door.

What:Community Ice Bucket Challenge

When: 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, 2016.

Where: Morgan Federal Bank parking lot, 321 Ensign St., Fort Morgan.

Cost: Nominate someone to either get ice buckets dumped on them or pay up, or watch others take on the challenge or pay to dump an ice bucket over Brad Renton. Donations being accepted.

Brad Renton has done a lot of walking and getting soaked to raise money for ALS research and patient support.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressively degenerative neurological disease that causes motor neurons in the brain to stop "talking" to neurons in the spinal cord and then the muscles, typically leading to loss of muscular control, paralysis and death.

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Renton's wife, Deb, died of ALS-related complications in 2007, and he continues to raise money every year in the search for a cure. Some years he's been able to raise tens of thousands of dollars through community help, other years a bit less.

He's hoping that this year will be one of the years when he raises a lot of money, and one way he hopes to accomplish that is by appealing to people's stomachs.

Renton again will partner with local chef Donny Edson, Cargill Meat Solutions, the Fort Morgan Elks Lodge and Morgan Federal Bank for a fundraising feast from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday night at the Elks Lodge.

This will be the third year for the all-you-can-eat barbecue dinner, and Renton hopes that people will do a lot of eating to support his cause.

Edson again will prepare the all-you-can-eat meal of smoked brisket, ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork and sweet corn, and it sounds like both Edson's fundraising smoker and Cargill Meat Solutions' smoker will be fired up for this event.

And anyone who has ever eaten food prepared by Edson can tell you that it's worth more than the $20 ticket price for this event. For kids 12 and under, it's only $10.

Tickets to the meal are available before the event by calling Brad Renton at 970-380-1779 or Donny Edson at 303-263-2965 or by stopping by Morgan Federal Bank in Fort Morgan. Meal tickets also will be available at the door Saturday night. All proceeds benefit the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the ALS Association.

Then next week, Renton and Morgan Federal Bank again will host a Community Ice Bucket Challenge event. That will happen from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, in the bank's parking lot.

People can challenge each other to either dump a bucket of ice water over their heads or make a donation to the Morgan County ALS fundraising effort.

This year, Renton said he may even let people make a donation so they can dump a bucket over his head.

"I want as many people that can make it with a bucket to come down there, and if they don't want to do it with the ice bucket, they can sure donate," he said.

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